Juan Carlos Obando was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Ecuador until the age of 11, when he moved back to Toronto with his family. From a very young age his passion and love for athleticism grew. This passion was first ignited by Soccer. It didn’t matter if he was playing with friends or playing for amateur leagues in Toronto, as long as he was playing. After High School he played more competitively for both the Humber and Seneca College teams, and later played for the Toronto District Soccer League (TDSL), on the Toronto Celtics.In 2013, Juan Carlos got into bodybuilding. After seeing his dedication to working out, his best friend Tito invited him to an event called “O Course” held at the docks in Toronto. Unaware of what this event had in store, he shortly realized after starting that he was in trouble. Weighing 190-200Lbs at the time, doing warm ups and explosive high intensity exercises with short sprints from one exercise to another came at a huge shock, leaving him gasping for air and wondering what the hell just happened. But after the shock, he entertained the thought of returning.The following weekend Juan Carlos returned to face the O Course again. As everyone started to line up he stood beside someone who would not only inspire him, but also become a close friend. That persons name is Jesse Bruce.Jesse introduced Juan Carlos to the sport he loves dearly today, Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). It all started when Jesse approached Juan excitedly about an upcoming race, the Spartan 5K Race, that he was planning on doing. Juan remembers him saying, “It’s going to be a lot of fun” so Juan decided to give it a try as well. Though the race was difficult, Juan Carlos experienced many exciting moments that lead him to fall in love with OCR, starting his journey. His second race was a Tough Mudder, which he ran with a group of friends. Soon after meeting his wife, Cerys Cook who also has a passion for OCR, they began running races together. This is when he realized he was completely hooked.In 2018, Juan Carlos started making moves he never thought possible before. Here he began making a footprint in the OCR community and took a spot at the top of his Age Group Division.Getting to that point was not an easy feat. He worked hard on shedding weight, running, and building upper body and grip strength. Adjusting his training any way he could to progress.Outside of OCR, Juan Carlos has 15 years of experience in Logistics and Operations Management.Juan Carlos thanks Jesse Bruce and his gym, One Academy, and the One Army family for all the love and support throughout the years.Juan Carlos also thanks all of his OCR friends and loved ones, who know who they are, from the bottom of his heart. He always looks forward to seeing them at the starting line with smiles and cheers.Juan’s current goal is to win my division and become a champion at the OCR World Championships in Vermont 2021.

Achievements:

2013/2014

O Course

2015

1 Spartan Race – (17th AG)
2 Tough Mudder

2016

2 Spartan Races – (25th & 15th AG)
1 Battlefrog Race
OCR World Championships 3k & 15k (Top 50 AG Males)

2017

7 Spartan Races – 1 race Elite 10th / 6 races AG (1x 2nd place)
Trifecta 2x Completed

Concrete Rush Race – 14th OA
Met Con Blue Mountain – 4th AG
2 Savage Races – (Top 10 AG Males)
Prison Break Race – 4th Elite
OCR World Championships 3k – (14th AG) & 15k – 72nd AG)

2018

5 Spartan Races – (4 of 5 races Top 5 AG)
Trifecta 1x Completed

Cadillac Fairview Run – 3rd AG
MEC Trail Races (2 of 3 Top 15 OA)
5Peaks Trail Race / Rattlesnake Point – (6th AG)
Toronto Challenge Run – (6th AG)
Waterloo Classic Run – (4th AG)
NorAm OCR Championships 3k – (43rd AG) & 15k – (24th AG)
Guelph Lake II Duathlon – (6th AG)
Viking Dash Trail Race – (1st AG)

2019

5 Spartan Races – (4 of 5 1st place AG)
Achilles St. Patricks Run – (5th AG)
MEC – (7th AG)
Cadillac Fairview Run – (3rd AG)
5Peaks Trail Race / Kelso – (4th AG)
Seaton Soaker Trail Race – (2nd AG)
Gnarly Berms Trail – (1st OA)
Toronto Challenge Run – (6th AG)
Summit700 Trail Race – (13th AG)
NorAm OCR Championships 3k – (10th AG) & 15k – (4th AG)

2020

OCR & Trail season cancelled

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Mackenzie de Freitas was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. From a young age she loved being outdoors, doing anything from camping to playing soccer. After finishing High School, Mackenzie attended Conestoga College to study Public Relations. She quickly discovered that Public Relations was not the career path for her and decided to postpone her education. She then worked as a Flight Attendant for Air Georgian, where she discovered her love for tourism, adventure, and people.

After finding her passion she chose to go back to school to study Tourism Travel Services Management at Humber College. While attending college she was hired as a Content Creator Intern for Swim Drink Fish, a not-for-profit water conservation company. Literally days before Mackenzie’s College Graduation, she completed her very first Spartan Sprint Race, where she gained a new respect and love for the sport she watched her Mom and Juan Carlos do for years.

She hopes to do more races in the future after experiencing how encouraging and welcoming the OCR community can be. After college, Mackenzie worked as a Travel Reservations Agent for Globus Family of Brands. Mackenzie now hopes to help bring attention to a sport that her family has such a deep love and appreciation for.

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